Church Of St James

The Church of St James is a parish church largely dating to the 12th century, with substantial rebuilding in the late 13th century and extensions in the early 14th and mid-15th centuries. It was restored in 1885. The west tower is of the 15th century and the nave is 12th century. The chancel is from the 13th century, the north transept from the 14th, and the south aisle and porch are 19th century additions.

The three-stage west tower features diagonal buttresses, a crenellated parapet with pinnacles, a string course with gargoyles, and a belfry stage with windows of two cinquefoiled lights in hollow chamfered reveals, with labels and head stops. The clock face is on the first stage, and the ground stage has a window of four ogee trefoiled lights in a deep reveal and hollow chamfers. The south aisle, a 19th-century addition, has a porch on the left, and a 14th-century doorway re-set from the south wall of the nave. This doorway has a 2-centred head and a contemporary door with massive strap hinges. Two windows to the left are of two and three trefoiled lights under segmental pointed heads. The east window is of two cinquefoil lights under a 2-centred head. The north wall of the nave has been largely rebuilt, featuring a 12th-century door with a flat rope-moulded lintel, plain tympanum, and zig-zag decoration to the semi-circular head. A small 12th-century semi-circular headed window is to the right of the door. The north transept has a south window of two trefoil lights under a 2-centred head. The chancel has diagonal buttresses, two bays with a pair of trefoiled lancets to the left, a window of two ogee trefoil lights under a 2-centred head with a priest's door between, and an east window of three trefoiled lights under a segmental head.

The interior features a 19th-century arcade of four bays with octagonal piers and 2-centred arches. The tower arch is 2-centred and of two hollow chamfered orders. The 19th-century chancel arch is 2-centred and of two orders, with respond shafts on the inner order. The arch to the north transept is of two orders with engaged respond shafts to the inner order. The nave retains a restored 14th-century common rafter roof with arched braced collars; the chancel has a similar roof with arch-braces and ashlar pieces curved to form an arch. Notable fittings include a memorial to Richard Hobby (died 1617), with two kneelers facing each other below an entablature supported on Corinthian columns, an early 18th-century altar rail and table, a pulpit with linen fold panelling (possibly dating to 1529), and a memorial to William Jarret (died 1685) in the form of a cartouche surmounted by an urn finial. The font has an early 14th-century octagonal stem and a 19th-century bowl.